Jonathan Gray thinks it’s time to put his right arm back into action again.

The Rockies’ player development department agrees, so Gray is scheduled to make his professional debut Wednesday in Grand Junction for the Rockies of the rookie-level Pioneer League. Gray hasn’t pitched in a game since early June and shortly after Denver’s big-league team drafted him in the first round.

The 6-foot-4 right-hander pitched 127 innings this year for the University of Oklahoma, so he was given time to rest his arm.

“I’m very ready to get going,” Gray said by phone Thursday before a game at Idaho Falls. “Giving me the time off was the right and smart thing to do. I had pitched a lot during the college season, and they didn’t want me to run out there and throw my arm out.”

The Rockies eagerly await Gray’s first pro start.

“This is a big moment in Rockies history and everyone is excited about it,” said Marc Gustafson of the scouting department. “Jonathan dominated while he was at Oklahoma and it’s always exciting when a player’s credentials go along with the scouting report.”

Gray has been getting acclimated to life in baseball’s low minor leagues. He has learned that long bus rides are part of the game, even for first-round draft picks. The trip from Grand Junction to Idaho Falls took more than seven hours.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going be,” Gray said.

He already has formed an opinion about pitching at Suplizio Field, Grand Junction’s ballpark.

“It’s a hitter’s ballpark, so you just outpitch the other guy,” Gray said. “You have to keep the ball down and try not to make as many mistakes as he does.”

Grand Junction pitching coach Ryan Kibler likes what he has seen so far.

“He takes his job seriously and expects a lot from himself,” Kibler said of Gray. “He likes to compete. That’s the thing I like most about him.”

Kibler is a former pitcher in the Rockies’ farm system. The right-hander was selected in the second round of the 1999 draft. He began his professional career in the Arizona Rookie League and quickly moved up. In 2001, he advanced all the way to Double-A Carolina in what was described at the time as the most dominant season by a minor-league pitcher in Rockies history. He posted a 14-6 record that year and had 161 strikeouts.

But a year later, Kibler suffered a shoulder injury that eventually ended his playing career. He rejoined the Rockies’ farm system last year as a coach.

Cooking again. Right-hander Aaron Cook is pitching again for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox in his attempt to return to the Rockies.

Cook made a start Wednesday night at Tacoma and pitched the first four innings. He allowed two runs in the first inning, then threw three scoreless innings. He threw 55 pitches overall and had two strikeouts. He hadn’t pitched since May 2; he went on the disabled list because of elbow soreness.

The Sky Sox are playing an 11-game homestand that runs through July 14.

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